


There's more than one kind of family

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, Domestic, Family, Fluff, Gen, Humour, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 03:26:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12050316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Magnus and Catarina need to attend to some Warlock business, which takes them away for the day. Alec watched over Madzie in their absence.





	1. Chapter 1

"Magnus, will you just go?" Alec said pushing him to do the door by his shoulders as he flapped around the loft. "I'm Head of the New York Institute I think I can handle this... Madzie and I are gonna have a great time."

Catarina watched in amusement, Madzie might live with her full time but Magnus and Alec had definitely taken on surrogate father duties in her life.

"Magnus come on. If we're not there to open this on time it'll descend into chaos...again." As two of the most powerful Warlocks in the New York area their presence was required at the opening of all trade negotiations. Things had been known to get messy without supervision in the past.

Magnus mused to himself as he flitted around, he and Alec had Madzie over for slumber parties all the time, he knew Alec was great with her but his inner mother hen was surfacing anyway.

""I'm _ready_ " he protested, stringing out the words distractedly "I just need to check a few more things..."

"It's a good job I love you or I'd be offended by your lack of confidence in me," Alec teased, nudging Catarina' shoulder conspiratorially. They watched Magnus together with matching grins as he checked and double checked that his ingredients cabinet was locked.

Madzie watched the group of grown ups from the living room, she just wanted to play, and Alec gave her a silly smile and an 'I know, I'll be there soon' look.

"I have every faith in...," Magnus started, seriously hoping that he hadn't truly caused offence, but he stopped, eyebrow raised as he took in the 'pleased for themselves' looks on Alec and Catarina's faces. "Ok... I admit, perhaps I am being a _tad_ overcautious. "

"Oh, just a tad..." Alec smirked, backing Magnus gently back towards the door again, both smiling now. "Keep an eye on him?" he playfully asked Catarina.

"I can't make any promises, he's a handful."

Magnus rolled his eyes at them both and stepped out into the hallway. Alec closed the door halfway, palm resting on the inside of it as he leaned just his head out.

"Have a good day... stop worrying and I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm _going_ ," Magnus held his hands up in mock defeat before cupping Alec's jaw and kissing him gently goodbye, "Love you."

"Love you too," Alec said, smiling at the words that were now their routine parting. "So Madz... now that the _grown ups_ have finally gone what are we doing today?"


	2. Chapter 2

They had just finished an exhausting game of "The Adventures of Pirate Captain Madzie" and she was now colouring quietly out on the balcony while Alec flicked through one of Magnus' spell books on the sofa... he didn't understand a word. He and Madzie had both agreed that the safest place for the permanent markers was outside, far, far away from Magnus' expensive tastes.

"What are you drawing?" Alec asked joining her outside,

"Us," she said, not looking up. Alec smiled and looked at her picture. The stick man with the heavy eyeliner was holding the stick man with the bow and arrows hand, while a stick lady and girl held hands next to them. "Beautiful Madz" Alec said kissing her forehead.

"Do you wanna draw?" she said holding out a pen.

"I'll try but I don't think I'm very good at it."

"Course you are... duh," she said pointing to his runes.

Alec shook his head amused as Madzie channelled Magnus, _'Duh really?'_ Magnus was a bad influence.

"Runes aren't quite the same," Alec said, laughing when Madzie made a face at his crudely drawn dog, "I've had lots of practice with those."

"Why do you have them and we don't?" she asked innocently, she'd always seem intrigued by them but never asked before.

"Well, I'm a Shadowhunter, they're to help me with my job. You, Magnus and Catarina have your own magic so you don't need runes to help you."

"Hmm... they're pretty" Madzie said, seeming to understand. She coloured in the sun on her picture, tilting her body away slightly for a second before turning around, "Look I'm a Shadowhunter now too... can we play make believe again?" she held out her arm which now had a bright yellow rune type symbol running down it.

"Cool," Alec smiled, tilting his head to look, "and yeah we can play but let's maybe not use the permanent marker for the rest though ok. Magnus must have some face paint or something easier to wash off around here."

"Magnus has _everything_ " Madzie said, with a childish exaggeration, "last time... he showed me all of his jewellery.. he has so much and it's so pretty... can we play _princess_ dress up?"

Alec laughed, her excitement was infectious and her attention span limited, "How about we find those face paints first and leave princess dress up for after lunch?"

Madzie scrunched her face up, hand on her hips, slight tilt of the head as she considered the ultimatum, "Ok," she agreed, skipping around the coffee table. Alec just smiled, she was adorable.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec heard his phone ringing in the living room as he pottered around the kitchen preparing lunch. He grinned to himself, he had a pretty good idea who that was gonna be... 3 hours? He was impressed.

His suspicions were proven as Madzie hopscotched into the kitchen, phone in hand. "It's Magnus...oh it's facetime... can I answer it... please Alec can I do it?"

"Sure Madz, go ahead," he smiled at her enthusiasm for all things mundane. She bounded back out of the room and Alec could hear her rambling away to Magnus who couldn't get a word in.

"Alec le me answer his phone...do you like my runes... they're multi-coloured... we didn't make a mess though... I'll wash them off before bed...Alec's don't wash off but he doesn't mind... he's gonna show me how to use his bow and arrow next time... we're playing princess dress up after lunch..."

"Whoa,whoa, Madz" Alec smiled taking the phone from her, "take a breath,"

Alec took the phone into the kitchen with him and rested it against the counter as he carried on preparing lunch.

"Checking up on me?"

"Checking **in** with you. It's a subtle but vital difference," Alec looked at Magnus' smiling face on the screen and just muttered, "Uh huh, Yeah right."

"How's your day?"

"Fine, we're on break while Catarina talks down some of our more vigorous traders...literally, one hexed the other and is now floating 10 feet above the floor."

Alec let out a wholesome laugh before letting out a sharp hiss of pain, "Damn it."

"Alexander, are you ok?" Magnus' face filled the screen entirely as it getting closer to the camera would afford him a better view.

"I'm fine," Alec held his hands to the phone, "just a small cut."

"Well be more careful," Magnus mothered, "I love those hands."

"Hey, Stop stealing my best material," Alec laughed rinsing his hand off under the tap, "You got a first aid kit?"

"I think so... but why not use your runes?"

"My stele is currently doubling as Captain Madzie's buried treasure so..."

"You don't know where it," Magnus smiled knowingly, Madzie was a master at hiding buried treasure in the most imaginative and hard to find places.

"I don't know where it is," Alec echoed in agreement.

"There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom cabinet... I don't really have cause to use one though so you might have to rifle through things a bit."

"Ok, I'll be right back," Alec disappeared from view.

"Uh hum, no excuse me, I don't think so..." Magnus protested.

"Fine," Alec smiled, grabbing the phone with his good hand, "I think I can handle a band aid without supervision though..."

"Humour me," Magnus said, as Alec re-adjusted the phone and came back into view before searching through the bathroom cabinet.

"See... there, all done," Alec said holding his hands to Magnus for approval. "Happy?"

"Elated my dear," Magnus winked at him and Alec rolled his eyes.

"Alec! Come play with me!...Please! she added a second later. Magnus always emphasised the importance of good manners.

"My master beckons..." Alec raised his arms in a shrug, "gotta go,"

"Yeah I better go too," Magnus agreed, "Talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too," Alec disconnected the line and went in search of Madzie. "You called my princess..."


	4. Chapter 4

"A...lec, wakey, wakey," Madzie's voice sing-songed in his ear. "Alexanderrrrrrr..." she whispered, mimicking Magnus as she so liked to do.

Alec was stretched on his side on Magnus' sofa, he'd only closed his eyes for 5 minutes...half an hour ago...oops. He opened his eyes to see her standing in front of him serenely...suspiciously so. She leaned over him and gave a quick kiss to his cheek before throwing her whole weight on to him as she leapt from the floor.

"Ugh," he let out a gasp of air, before tickling her in the ribs, excited squeals filling the room... and then he saw it, "So ugh, Madz? What happened here?" Magnus' once pristine living room was in ruins, cushions strewn everywhere.

"The dragon escaped the dungeon," she said matter of factly as thought it was clearly obvious.

"Is it still on the loose?" Alec played along.

"Yeah," she nodded, placing a finger to her lips so the dragon wouldn't hear her.

"Well then let's go," Alec picked her up and stood in one motion. Placing her on the ground he kneeled down, drawing an imaginary sword, "Are you ready to defend the kingdom Princess Madzie?"

She straightened up her back, put the tiara she had discarded back on and looked Alec in the eye determinedly, "Let's go."

X X X

Madzie sat on the sofa in her pyjamas as Alec mopped up the bathroom floor. Madzie had insisted that she could wash off the runes by herself, Alec being the softie he was had fallen hook, line and sinker and was now cleaning up the puddles of water left over from her impromptu re-enactment of The Little Mermaid.

"Ok, Madz, time for bed," he said, drying his hands as he entered the still deconstructed living room. He'd straighten up before Magnus got home.

"Can I have five more minutes? she asked, full puppy dog eyes in effect.

"No Madz, you had 5 more minutes 10 minutes ago..." he scooped up into her arms, "come on, time to go."

"Can I sleep in your room?" she asked. The guest room was no different to their room but it was the novelty of it.

"Well, then where would _I_ sleep?" Alec teased,

"We can share... so you're not lonely until Magnus comes home" she said. 'Oh, she was good', Alec thought as his resolve crumbled with each word.

"Ok, how about story time in my room, and then back into yours?" he compromised. He didn't "officially" live there yet so technically it was Magnus' room but he found him slipping with the specifics more and more these days. He hadn't stayed at the institute in months.

"Deal," she said, shaking Alec's pinky with hers,

"Deal," he smiled back, dropping her gently onto their bed.

He sat on his side and she crawled up next to him, cuddling into his side. "Huh... I don't think Magnus actually has any story books," Alec thought outloud.

"That's ok, you can make one up," she assured him, nuzzling under his arm.

"Umm, ok" This was a little out of his area but he and Izzy used to tell each other stories all the time when they were kids so it couldn't be that hard...right? "Once upon a time there was a ..."

"Prince" Madzie offered as he stalled, tapping Alec's chest as she did so. He was still dressed as one from Princess play time earlier.

"Ok, yeah... there was a prince and he fell in love with a ..."

"Princess?" Madzie finished for him expectantly.

"Well... not quite," Alec smiled, this wasn't where he was going originally, but who said fairy tales had to be all princes and princesses anyway, "he was _supposed_ to get married to a princess because it would keep both of their kingdoms safe... but... they didn't love each other so the Prince told the Princess that he didn't think that they should get married after all."

"But wouldn't that make the princess sad?... Stories are supposed to have happy endings Alec," she instructed, pouting a little.

"I know... it will...now, yes, I think the Princess **was** a bit sad, but the Prince visited her castle afterwards and told her that he was very sorry and that he would really like to be her friend instead and that if any dragons ever came to her kingdom that he would be there to help her fight them."

"That was kind... Magnus says that you should always be kind," she explained, just in case Alec wasn't aware and cuddled closer to him, sleep starting to take hold.

"Yes, he does," Alec smiled fondly, looking at the empty part of the bed. They didn't often spend nights apart, he would miss not having him there tonight. Maybe he should just let Madzie stay in with him after all, she was his self appointed protector from loneliness after all.

"So, did the Prince live happily ever after?" she yawned widely,

"Yes actually... there was a Sorcerer that he knew, that was kind, funny, brave," Alec paused, he could list Magnus' virtues all night otherwise, "and the Sorcerer showed the Prince that it was important to do what was right for him and not just what was right for his kingdom... and then they fell in love and lived happily ever after."

"Hmmm, that was a good story Alec... you should tell it to Magnus, he likes stories too," Madzie's eyes were closed and her words came out slowly as she drifted off to sleep.

"Well I don't need to Sweetpea," Magnus' nickname for her came out naturally as he kissed her hair, "He's the one that told it to me"

Wrapping his arm around her he closed his eyes, not intending to fall asleep yet, but unable to avoid it as he lay there contented and not at all lonely.


	5. Chapter 5

Magnus smiled fondly as closed the loft door quietly behind him. His living room was destroyed, but clearly Madzie and Alec had enjoyed themselves so that was all that mattered. He skimmed one hand over the other and with a soft pulse of energy sent everything back neatly where it belonged.

There was an irritatingly catch pop song playing in the background and Magnus vaguely remembered something about a Princess Dance Contest in one of Alec's earlier texts. He snapped his fingers and a more classical ambience filled the room.

It was a little after midnight, trading wouldn't stop until later the next day given the time difference in the other realm but Catarina had lovingly suggested that if Magnus wasn't going to be paying attention that maybe he should just go home... he had clearly wanted to be there all day.

He walked towards the bedroom with a purposeful silence and smiled at what he found there. Alec propped up against the pillows, right arm stretched over his head, as Madzie lay more across his chest than the bed. Alec's left arm covered her, his hand cupping her delicate shoulder. She had washed off most of the runes but there was still the faint outline of a yellow one on her arm, which made Magnus smile.

Alec on the other hand took his breath away, he was rather interestingly wearing one of Magnus' blue silk shirts, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, the complementary charcoal waist coat left unbuttoned. Well, wasn't that something to remember.

He rested one hand next to Alec's waist and leaned over them, pressing a soft kiss to each of their foreheads. Alec stirred at the touch, "Hmm, what time is it? " he asked sleepily.

"Why? Do you need to go back to the Institute?" Magnus asked playfully, earning him a sleepy smile. "It's late. Go back to sleep."

Magnus gently lifted Madzie without waking her and carried her to the guest room. Alec let out a contented sight as he rolled on to his side, sinking his face into Magnus' pillow as he bundled it up his arms.

"Sleep tight Sweetpea," Magnus said softly as he tucked Madzie in. Turning he saw Alec watching him in the doorway. "You should be asleep," Magnus grinned, cupping his face and placing a gentle kiss to his lips as he closed Madzie's door.

Alec just shrugged and gave an "oh well" smile.

"I must say Alexander, this new found sense of style suits you," Magnus whispered, straightening the collar of his own shirt against Alec's neck before pulling him gently towards him by the waistcoat.

Alec's eyes crinkled in an embarrassed smile as he ducked his head laughing quietly, "Yeah, Princess Play Time... Madzie said I was Prince Charming." he explained with a bend of the waist, crossing his arm over him in a stately manner.

"You certainly are," Magnus smiled, "well then, your Majesty, may I have the honour of this dance?" Alec watched as Magnus expertly displayed a deep bow, head dropped to his knee, arm raised to take his Prince's hand.

"Of course good Sir," Alec replied, taking Magnus' outstretched hand in his. He wrapped an arm around Magnus' waist, the other outstrected holding Magnus' hand in his.

Magnus took the lead and swirled them into the living room. Despite his Shadowhunter grace Alec stumbled, caught off guard by the swift movement and he laughed, bracing his hands against Magnus' chest as they stopped.

"Shh," Magnus giggled remembering that Madzie was asleep. Alec rested his head on Magnus' shoulder, arms wrapped around each, they swayed gently to the music, more hugging than dancing now.

"Are you still with me?" Magnus asked as he felt Alec's head rest more heavily on his shoulder.

"Hmm, just about," Alec murmured, voice heavy with sleep as he inclined his head towards the bedroom door, "shall we?"

"Lead the way," Magnus stroked Alec's hand with his thumb as it trailed between them. Alec sat down on the bed while Magnus removed his jacket, hanging it back neatly where it belonged. He turned to instruct Prince Charming on the correct art of waistcoat removal and smiled as he saw Alec propped back up amongst the pillows sound asleep. Oh well, those wrinkles in the shirt were nothing a little magic couldn't fix.

Alec lay on top of the covers so Magnus did the same so as not to disturb him, lying on his side, he watched Alec until his eyes dropped closed too.

And that's how Catarina found them the next morning, now both lying on their sides, hands clasped together over Madzie who had joined them in the night.

They made a beautiful family.


End file.
